Why canrsquo;t I stop smoking? -
Why canrsquo;t I stop smoking? -
My mother has lung disease and she is on a oxygen machine 24 hours a day. I started smoking when I was 15 and tried throughout the years to stop. I tried everything you could think of. My older sister (we are 16 years apart) was a smoker also but she quit when she was 30 years old. Finally when I was 31 years old I finally quit for good. The smell and though of a cigarette made me sick. I think it is a disgusting, nasty habit. When I stopped at 31 I had a few relapse but I was doing so well for quitting cold turkey. Then one night I went out with some friends and had a few beers and the next thing you know I was bumming cigarettes. Now every time I drink alcohol I crave cigarettes and eventually it gets the best of me and I end up buying a pack and smoking a lot when I am drinking. I don’t drink that much. I drink maybe 2 times a month. I recently when though a very stressful situation in which I though I was going to lose my job and the first thing I did was buy a pack of cigarettes. I am ashamed and terrified that I will go back to being a fulltime smoker. I am / was very proud of myself for quitting and I wanted my mother to see this and she did. When I do have a few cigarettes the next day I feel awful physically and mentally. My chest hurts and I am so upset that I gave in. I feel weak and guilty.I want to stop 100%. I have even tried going out and telling all of my friends no matter what don’t let me smoke and I take straws and by the end of the night I smoke.
helpTricky, isn′t it? That-s happening because you are using cigarettes as a crutch. It-s your mind that is hooked on them, not your body, and this is a little tougher to deal with.
Do you know something? You must make up your mind, now. Focus on the thought that it-s you who has the power to decide what to do with your health. There is not a substance, person or thing on this earth that can subdue that power, the power of your will. Come to a decision today, and be firm. It-s you who calls the shots, it-s you who orders your body to walk to the store and buy them. It-s you who can break the cycle.
I know what i say, it took 3 attempts to finally quit, i always came up with a different excuse, the last was after i separated from my husband (-I need a cigarette, i can-t take this stress any longer...how am i going to deal with all this?...i must have a smoke now, i need it...-)until i realized what i just told you. You make the excuses, you don-t listen to your mind. Your body is already telling you to quit, now don-t be so self indulgent and quit. Nothing else to it, no medicine, no therapy, it-s you who has the final word.Greetings...and congrats on wanting to be smoke free full time. First thing you need to do is stop beating yourself up every time you slip. Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs there is.
When I stopped I started a Yahoo group with extensive files,
links, news etc...attached that can answer any question you might have about smoking and quitting. Accurately. Feel free to have a look and regardless.......Take Care......R
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Sta…
The problem is you-re not ready to quit. Stress is a reason to smoke, drinking is a reason to smoke. It gets the best of you.
First, asking your friends to stop you is not a strategy because it-s not their problem, and they-re not doing it anyway.
Second, if drinking contributes to it getting the best of you, then stop drinking until you do not have that connection.
Third, you have full control, as long as you want to. So either don-t do it, or go on fighting a battle with smoking in the gray area between being a smoker and a non smoker. The thing is, the gray area is a fine line. Equate it to an alcoholic being able to drink -occasionally-.
Is that possible? Maybe. Is it likely? Probably not. So figure out what you want to do, figure out what triggers it, and either deal with the cravings or avoid the situations. Personally I found it easier to just deal with the situations such as being around smokers, and drinking with friends, and refusing to smoke. The association went away. But everyone is different, so that might not work for you.Don-t know what aids can help the cravings, but... You must have the will first, anything else is just to help you out.My heart goes out to you. Stopping smoking is, without a doubt, the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life. I started when I was 11. Most kids choke and stop and they certainly don-t inhale. I inhaled the smoke right away and loved it! Took to it like a fish in water. Lung disease also runs in my family. My mother smoked 4-6 packs a day! My father had empyszema. My brother also. They are now all dead from it. The last one died in 2004. I still did not stop. I probably smoked even more after that. I quit smoking on June 5, 2005. I have not had a cigarette since. I am sorry, I know you are not here to hear my story, but I think the point that I am trying to make is that no THING or PERSON is going to make you stop or even help you to stop. This is something you must do for yourself and by yourself. I had some help from a smokers anonymous 12-step group. It did help, but I had to institute the plan myself. I used to say -Ok, I really want a cigarette, but let me hold out for 5 minutes. If I still want it, I will have it then. Then it became 10 minutes, then 15, then an hour, then 2 hours and then a day. That was a huge accomplishment. Once you get a day or two under your belt, it seems like messing up the time you have worked so hard for is not something you are quick to do. Then it-s a week, then a month. See what I mean?? I am not saying that I don-t have cravings. I still think about them, but, now, its just a thought. When you are ready you will do it. Why not try the above method? Really, you have nothing to lose but diseased lungs, funky breath, smelly hair and not to mention the pissing away of lots of $$$$. Good Luck, you can do it!!!Sounds like you are determined to end up on an oxygen machine 24 hours a day.
In the Search for questions slot type in -quit smoking- and you will get at least 6,725 results.i quite myself a couple of times and its hard not to start back up again I was told when I have the urge to smoke get a patch and put it on some people like myself cannot be occasional smokers without starting back up so maybe getting a patch everytime you get the urge will keep you from getting a pack and because they are so expesive may give you the mental drive to just give it up because smokeing with your mother in the position she is in seems to be giving you an even greater reason to quite in honor of her and her life good luck I know its tuff
<< Home